Image to left: Robert Crippen prepares a meal on Columbia's middeck during the STS-1 mission. "Over the long haul, it'll save civilization." He believes technology developed to send humans to the moon or Mars could one day help in preventing or correcting environmental issues. "The real pleasure was having a chance to enjoy being weightless and spend some time looking out (at Earth)," said Crippen.įor Young, however, space flight not only provides a means of appreciating the planet, but a way of protecting it. In the few spare moments the astronauts weren't busy, Young and Crippen delighted in the unique freedom and spectacular views that flying in orbit offers. "We had a good time taking it around," said Young. The crew spent two days in space putting Columbia through its paces, testing the ship's radically advanced systems. "He was a swell fellow and really smart about the vehicle." "I was really lucky to have Bob Crippen with me because he knew all the software end to end," said Young. His mastery of Columbia's sophisticated computer systems garnered Young's appreciation. "If you want to go into space for the first time on a new vehicle that's never been flown, you want to go with a pro, and John certainly is a pro," said Crippen.Ĭrippen was the rookie astronaut thrilled to be piloting a mission. Already a veteran of four missions piloting three types of spacecraft, Young had the seasoned skill and steely confidence to bridle Columbia on its maiden flight. NASA's decision to put Young in the commander's seat for the mission was an easy one. ![]() Powered by multiple engine systems and completely computer controlled, Columbia demanded a crew with exceptional experience and expertise. NASA's new versatile and reusable rocket-glider was a dramatic departure from the slender Saturn V boosters of the previous generation. Image to right: Commander John Young (left) and Pilot Robert Crippen (right) take a break from their intensive training schedule to pose for pictures in the flight deck of Columbia. "There was no doubt you were headed someplace," said Crippen. When Space Shuttle Columbia's roaring engines launched STS-1 from Kennedy Space Center in Florida on April 12, 1981, the enormous jolt at liftoff told Commander John Young and Pilot Robert Crippen they were about to take an adventurous ride into a new frontier.
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